[Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Chatham Borough.
- Chatham (Kent, England). Borough Council.
- Date:
- 1913
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Chatham Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
34/66 page 28
![Comparing the figures with those of 1912, it will be noticed that the number of Dairymen, Purveyors of Milk, Dairies and Alilk- shops has decreased. Improved supervision and greater stringency regarding the observance of regulations are the reasons. The Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order. 1885 (amended 1886 and 1889), applies to Isngland and Wales, and the Regulations issued by the Local Covernment Board have the following objects :— (a) The inspection of cattle in dairies. (/;) Por prescribing and regulating the lighting, ventilation, cleansing, drainage, and water supply of dairies and cowsheds occupied by cowkeepers or dairymen. (e) Tor securing the cleanliness of milk stores, milk shops, and milk vessels, used for containing milk for sale by such persons. {d) For prescribing precautions to be taken Ijy purveyors of milk, and persons selling milk by retail, against in- fection or contamination. Regular inspections of cowsheds are made by myself, and fre- quent visits at irregular periods are made by an Inspector, and by this means a certain standard of cleanliness is secured, and considerable improvement has taken place of late years, l)ut the average cow- keeper is not of a progressive type, and he can’t, or won’t, realise that an alteration in his methods would not only l)e labour saving and economical, but would lead to increased custom. A system of marking has l)een a<lo[)ted in reporting on the condi- tion of cowsheds, by whu'h it is easy to see where a cowkeeper is defective, and to secure a remedy. The chief defects 0(x:urring i]i connection with ('owsheds are the water siijrply in some instaiKxes, dung disposal in all. and inadequate cleansing in most. As regards milking, handling o-f milk, and condition of cows, there is much scope for improvement. Rarely is suitable provision made for washing the hands of the milkers, no overalls are worn, and anyone familiar with the clothing of men occupied in farm work knov's how dirty it is. The chief points for the ('owkeeqjer to understand is that milk is liable to contamination (1) From dirt on the cows themselves, (2) ., the hands or ('lothes of milkers. (3) ., the air and dust of cowsheds. nearly all of whi('h couhl be ]:)revented l)y im])roved and ine.xpensive methods of cleanliness. All milch (X>ws are inspected every three months by a Veterinary Ins])ector, who- reports on a spec’ial form with respect to each cowshed, the ])oints noted l)eing signs of dfiberculosis. disease of udder or](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29098920_0034.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
